I think everyone and their mother is going to see the Sex and the City movie tonight but me. It’s honestly my own fault for procrastinating, but maybe that was my subconscious telling me that I really didn’t want to stand in that line for an hour or more waiting to get a good seat that ends up being three rows from the front anyway. Or maybe that right there is just my rationale trying to make me not feel bad about procrastinating. Either way, I’m not going. So I’m going to think of other things besides Sex and the City that would be good tonight. What about Soup and the Kitchen. That’s what I could have for dinner…and where I could have it for that matter. Although I had miso soup for lunch, so let’s try again. Okay, Sharp Nails and the Old Kids Bedroom, meaning I could hang up some nifty wall art that I bought the other day on my freshly painted green wall in the room that some kid...

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When the new library downtown opened and I went for the first time, I thought it was one of the most unique places in Jacksonville. I was very impressed, so impressed it prompted me to get a library card and start checking out books! Every detail from the gift store, Shelby’s, the grand staircase and especially the outdoor courtyard gave me reason to come back. So when I found out this year’s Film Festival Gala would be taking place at the Downtown Library- I was thrilled! What a wonderful venue for a beautiful star lit party. Saturday was the night of the Jacksonville International Film Festival’s Annual Grey Goose Gala. Before we could party the night away it was first movie time! In the chilly Florida Theatre with our chocolate covered Peterbrooke popcorn we watched “The Year of Getting to Know Us”, starring Jimmy Fallon, Lucy Liu, Sharon Stone and Tom Arnold. I though the movie was good, not great and bittersweet. It was odd to see Mr. Fallon is such a serious role- but I do recommend to check it out for some city pride! Did I mention the movie was completely filmed in Jacksonville-cool, don’t ya think? ...

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Last night we premiered a film at the theatre as the opening night of the 2008 Jacksonville Film Festival. The film was about a legendary guitarist who called Orange Park home for the latter part of his life. It was a film about the tumultuous life and times of this man. The film was called Crazy. It was quite an appropriate title for the movie that punctuated a week that was nothing less than just that. Crazy. It all began one week ago today. The sun was shining. The weather was sweet. It made me want to move my dancing feet…move my feet all the way to The Freebird in Jax Beach. Stephen Marley, the second son of reggae legend and one of my top five favorite musicians of all space and time Bob Marley, was to perform that night. Of those top five favorite musicians, I have seen three of them live. The other two…well can’t perform due to the deterrent issue of not being alive anymore. So tribute bands and performing relatives that look and sound very similar have to due for the other two. Stephen Marley works...

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Things that just made my week… Getting the “white paper” (how our shows are announced internally) for Ashlee Simpson. Realizing that Mama Mia! the movie will be out July 18. The new Gold’s Gym location, which has a movie theatre cardio room. Wilco going on sale. Spending time w/ a best friend in from New York City. PF Chang’s egg drop soup. Riding the new trolley route to Riverside for lunch w/ Toni and Katie. Staff picnic. A very productive Friday. The 48 hour films. Good stuff, make sure to check out the best of on May 30th. Dinner @ Café Nola. A late night TBS episode of The Office. My latest purchase on iTunes- Edwin McCain’s Scream & Whisper. Birthday cake ice cream with my roommate. The kick-butt pilates class. Remembering that the Jacksonville Film Festival starts next week. Things that did not make my week… A killer sunburn. My pale skin never learns. The air conditioner freezing up in the townhouse. Having a doctor’s appointment in Ponte...

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There are many things in life that just suck—the flu, flat tires, overdraft fees, vacuums. There are other things in life that suck, well, the life out of you—screaming babies, tax season, family reunions…vampires. Then there are those things in life that simply suck you in. Without any control of your own, they just sweep you into their powerful cone of fascination and frenzy. They are the tornadoes of life. The vortex of experience. This past weekend was a grand example of the vortex. A conference for the local chapter of the American Advertising Federation found the K-girls in St. Petersburg, FL. It began with a literal windstorm that blew doors shut, hair out of control and contents out of purses. And as if that was Mother Nature’s clever wink of foreshadowing, the rest of the weekend was nothing less than a whirlwind of early morning breakfasts, board meetings, 1001 pictures, costume changes, keynote speakers, breakout sessions, awards ceremonies, after parties, unopenable bar “gifts”, bed confetti, hilarious...

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This week out of the blue… I’ve started “shredding”. With the influences of The Biggest Loser, yes, my roommate and I purchased Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred DVD. This DVD promises to lose up to 20 pounds in 30 days…RIGHT….but you know what, it’s fun, it only takes 20 minutes a day, and we’ll see what really is lost in 30 days. I’m thinking there may need to be a diet change involved… Discovered Pandora.com (thanks Ryan!) and now have turned the whole office onto it. Why didn’t I know about this sooner??? I attended a final campaigns presentation for an advertising class at UNF. A few students who are involved with America Ad Fed here in Jacksonville, invited me to check out the work they have done all semester for a “client”. Just 2 years ago, I was doing the exact same thing, in the exact same room. It is pretty crazy to think that this time 2 years ago I was graduating college, figuring out- what’s next? Couldn’t be happier with where I am right now in life….especially with my employment. Facebook...

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525,600 minutes. How do you measure a year? The first time I heard that song, Seasons of Love, from the soundtrack of Rent I was in a jazz class at a Dance Masters Association convention in Daytona nearly ten years ago. It caused me to stop for a moment. I took mental note of the lyrics, but never really thought about them until many years later. How do you measure a year? They measured it in daylights, in sunsets, in cups of coffee—in seasons of love. How do I measure a year? Every year we watch the seasons change. Summer to fall. Winter to spring. Every year we watch the school year go round and catch up to us again. Football season and those ever so cheap summers of Thirsty Thursdays come and go. Even the theatre experiences the ebb and flow of a season. But what makes it all worth doing it again…and again…every season? How do I measure a year? I measure it in phone calls to my mom. I measure it in the funny and unnecessarily long voicemails I leave my roommate. I measure it in the hours I have...

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I have just recently become an iPod owner. Yes, 100 years later I am finally in with the human race. My first one is the small, square Nano- 8GB, silver…you know the apple tune “1, 2, 3, 4….” and it is just perfect for me. I’m only at about half my song limit and still figuring out exactly how to use it. I have discovered iTunes, which is very dangerous- b/c those $.99 songs add up quickly! Music is a huge part of my life. I wake up to a clock radio, go straight to my computer and turn on iTunes to get ready to, on the way to work the car radio is on, and then either my iPod or iTunes is playing at my desk. In this industry you need to keep up with the fast paced music trends or you will be left in the dust. I’m still learning… We’ve been throwing around different ideas on what we should book for our next season. And before the requests start rolling in- there are a few ground rules and things to consider. Check out the Occasionally Asked Questions page on our site and find the question that addresses...

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I was hanging out with some friends the other night, and we were playing a game. The four of us were sitting at each side of the kitchen table staring down at a deck of cards delicately splayed in a circular formation, each card taunting the player with what it hid underneath. The game was Ring of Fire. And by no means was this a drinking game...ahem…The point of the game was to pick any card at random. Each card depending on the number corresponded with an action. For example, if you drew a nine, you would say a word and the next person would have to say one that rhymes and so on until one person can’t think of a rhyming word. He therefore loses and has to drink…his cup of water that is. A three is “me” so I would have to drink…my Fresca of course. A “two” is you, so you would have to sip…your diet green tea in a can. A queen is “questions”, which the players have to continually...

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Seven years ago, I moved out of my house, away from my family and came to Jacksonville. The idea of being on my own and independent was exactly what I wanted and needed. I felt moving away my mom, dad and brother would be just fine and the occasional visits and holiday get-togethers would be just enough time to spend and see. Lately I have been thinking so much about this. When you move away from your family, do you ever get to move back? I do get jealous of the people who surround me who have their families here, in town- so holidays like Easter are just a drive across town- instead of over 2 hours on 95 South. Too often, life gets in the way and the time you want to be there with them, sometimes passes you bye. So this is where I am very blessed. If you are lucky enough, you find yourself making “additional” families as you go through life. In no way can I replace the one I have, absolutely not. They are the people who put up with me better than anyone ever could and support me more than they even know....

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